


Wrong Turn at Damascus

by Annie17851



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Christmas, Gen, Men of Letters Bunker
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-11-30
Updated: 2014-11-30
Packaged: 2018-02-27 15:16:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,086
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2697608
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Annie17851/pseuds/Annie17851
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel thinks of a nice gift for the Winchester brothers.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Wrong Turn at Damascus

**Author's Note:**

> My contribution to SPN Christmas fics; there are lots of versions of when and where the birth may have taken place, so I have taken poetic license; also, I am not sure Damascus is on the way, but I like the name.

Wrong Turn at Damascus 

 

Sam turned at the sound of angel wings, a mug of eggnog in each hand. Castiel had appeared close to Dean and the Christmas tree, where the elder Winchester was just finishing up the simple decorating job he had assigned himself. 

“Just in time, Cas,” Dean said, reaching for the drink Sam held out to him.

“Merry Christmas, Cas!” Sam greeted the angel, holding the other mug out to him and then turning to fill another one from the big bowl on the side table. 

“Just in time for what?” Cas asked, taking a sip from the mug and frowning slightly at the amount of rum Dean had added to the recipe. 

“I’m almost done with the tree. Get your feathery ass up on the top there,” Dean joked.

Castiel’s frown deepened, while Sam almost choked on his eggnog.

“Why would I want to do that?” Cas replied seriously. “I doubt the tree would hold my weight.”

Dean sighed. Another reference the angel didn't understand. “Never mind. Merry Christmas, Cas!” He smiled, finishing his drink and going to the table for another one. 

“So, Cas,” Sam started, “Do angels even celebrate Christmas? Do you all get together and sing Hallelujah songs and stuff?”

Dean snorted. “Half of those dicks can’t even be in the same room together. Pretty sure there’s no caroling in Heaven.”

“There are choruses of Hallelujah to celebrate the birth of my Brother.” Castiel told them seriously. “But, this is not the right time. He was born in the spring – not winter. This is almost entirely secular and materialized.”

“Speaking of materialized,” Dean said, reaching for a brightly-wrapped box hidden under the small tree. “Sam and I got you a present!”

Cas accepted the box carefully, setting his mug down so he could examine it more closely. 

“It’s not gonna bite,” Sam promised. “Open it.”

Cas slid a finger under a flap of paper and then stopped. “No one has ever given me a gift before. It feels…….I didn't get you anything.”

Sam and Dean both laughed.

“No worries, Cas,” Dean assured him. “You've done plenty for us. Now open it already!”

Cas complied, a tiny smile appearing as he saw the picture on the box. 

“A new phone!” he enthused. “Thank you, Dean! Thank you, Sam!”

Sam pointed to the picture. “It’s all set up for you,” he explained. “Dean has it all ready to go and he’ll show you how it works. It’s a smart phone, so you can go on the internet with it, too. Your phone was an antique.”

“And I downloaded a bunch of music for you, all good stuff, like Baby’s music,” Dean told him. 

“Show me,” Cas requested, opening the box. 

Half an hour and more eggnog later, Cas slipped the phone into his pocket and stood decisively. 

“I have thought of a gift for you,” he announced. “And since my Grace is fully functional, I am up to the task.”

Without warning, Castiel reached out with both arms and touched his fingers to Sam and Dean’s foreheads. 

The bunker disappeared.

……………………………………………..

They were outdoors. It was dark and warmer than it had been last time they checked outside. From what they could see, they were surrounded by almost- barren land, dotted here and there with sparse vegetation. There was also a village, or something close to it, near their location. And they were wearing long robes, holding ornate boxes in their hands, which they almost dropped in surprise. 

“Uh, Cas?” Dean began, looking curiously at the angel, who stood beside them calmly, wearing the same robes and holding a box exactly like theirs. 

“Where are we, Cas?” Sam asked.

“And when?” Dean asked suspiciously.

“Just outside of Bethlehem,” Cas replied. “Somewhere around 5 BC. It’s spring.” Castiel indicated with his head that they should look behind them.

“The Star of Bethlehem,” Castiel explained, as they looked in awe at the comet above the horizon, above the settlement of small, candle-lit buildings, silent under the night sky.

“Cas, are we…..Is this actually…?” Sam was fascinated, couldn't even find the voice to ask his question adequately. 

“And what’s with the robes and the little treasure boxes?” Dean added.

Castiel looked in the direction of the old town reverently. 

“This is my gift to you. I want to show you what I have seen myself. On the outskirts of Bethlehem lies the home of Joseph the carpenter’s relatives. The home is very crowded. So many have traveled here for the census. Joseph and Mary have to stay in a room on the lower level. Sometimes at night the sheep are kept there, for fear of thieves. Mary has arrived heavy with child, and the family cannot turn them away, so that is where they are staying.

“So, not in a stable?” Sam asked.

Castiel sighed. “Not in a stable. The story is so old, and has been retold so many ways, stable, cave, manger. There is a bed of straw for the Babe, but it is not in a feeding trough.”

“And these boxes?” Dean persisted. 

“Gifts for the Child,” Cas replied. “Sam’s box contains gold, a symbol of royalty, which the Child surely is.”

Cas nodded to Dean’s box. “You carry frankincense, which is used on altars in worship of my Father. My box contains myrrh, which is used in burial rituals, as a reminder to the new Child that he is destined to live and die as a mortal man.”

“So, you put us into the bodies of the Magi? The actual Magi?” Sam asked excitedly. 

“I don’t know about this, Cas,” Dean interjected dubiously. “Don’t you need their permission or something?” 

“The actual Magi have not arrived yet,” Cas informed him. “For all intents and purposes, we are the Magi.”

“But, what if the real guys show up while we’re here?” Dean argued. 

“They will not be here for several weeks,” Cas explained, with a sly sidelong glance at the brothers. “It seems they may have taken a wrong turn at Damascus.”

Dean laughed so hard he almost dropped his box of frankincense. 

“Castiel, you are too much!” Dean managed when he could speak again.

“Yea, Cas, this is awesome! Monumental. Can we go see now?” Sam asked eagerly.

“Yea,” Dean agreed. “Thank you, Cas! This beats our little smart phone all to hell, though.”

Cas smiled. “Merry Christmas, Dean! Merry Christmas, Sam!”

Castiel, angel of the Lord, started walking toward Bethlehem, the two hunters falling into step behind him.


End file.
